RUN AWAY!!! Seriously, Harbor Freight is a great place to buy hand tools, and power tools you aren't going to use much. That being said, they're NOT the place to buy a welder.
I work for Praxair, and even though I'm a truck driver for them, I hear the stories of those that tried to cheap out on a welder by getting a H.F. or Home Depot welder. It usually turns out that they wind up spending MORE than they originally would have buying a Miller or Lincoln from us in the first place. Not to mention most of the consumables, (tips, nozzles and such), are not compatible.
Find a welding supply store that specializes in just that. I would of course suggest Praxair. People that work there have the knowledge and resources that H.F, employees will never have.
My welding skills and knowledge are limited, I have a 180 amp hobart. Does just about anything I have needed around the house and on the jeep. When it comes to welders go with a higher amp than your think you will need. I think my 180 would be over kill for muffler pipes only but sorta in the ball park for building bumpers or working with some thicker materials. i am sure some will chime in with better info for you.
I bought the HF 90 amp flux welder to use at home, we have a much nicer (and more expensive) mig welder at the shop. The HF wire creates a ton of splatter so I would plan on buying a spool of better wire, and I would recommend a new ground clamp instead of the flimsy stamped steel part that comes with it, but otherwise mine has held up well.
You will likely have more difficulty in welding the exhaust pipe than the bumper, IMO. The temperature (current) control only has a high/low adjustment, and can be difficult to get a consistent weld without burning through thin pipe. Thicker pipe is ok, and the welder generally does well at welding various brackets and plates in my experience. I've done a decent amount of fab work with it using 1/8" to 5/16" mild steel.
If you want to do more complex or heavy duty work, then you want a better welder. But if you want something you can practice with, plug into a normal house outlet and not have to worry about a gas bottle, I think the HF unit is a good buy.
It's an AC only welder, and I don't know what it's purpose would be other than making a mess. I would stay away from flux core for welding anything, other than outside in the wind. For doing bumpers, You will need a 175AMP or better with gas. I would stay away from the 115V only stuff if you plan on doing anything weight bearing, they just don't have enough heat to penetrate heaver steel.
That welder isn't even CLOSE to being powerful enough for anything thicker than exhaust pipes. To weld steel heavy and thick enough for bumpers, tire carriers, etc. you need nothing less than a 180 amp 220v welder like from Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart. No welder that plugs into a 110vac outlet has the heat capacity to weld heavy steel like that.
And as mentioned above, there are some good brands of welders out there but the Chicago brand at Harbor Freight Tools isn't one of them.
I have the Hobart handler 175. I'd reccomend it for a beginner/ intermediate welder. I reccomended a 240v welder that can take the gas. Flux core wire is good if your welding outside and it's windy. Other than that the gas is going to produce a better weld And once you get good at welding you'll be welding anything you can. So get bigger than you plan on now.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Ask a question
Ask a question
Jeep Wrangler Forum
9M posts
468K members
Since 2005
A forum community dedicated to Jeep Wrangler owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about reviews, performance, trail riding, gear, suspension, tires, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, for all JL, JT, JK, TJ, YJ, and CJ models!